The Bond
}} The Bond is an ancient rite, wherein the souls of a dragon and its rider are joined as one. This ritual was the core of the Order of the Flame, the brotherhood to which these nobles beings belonged. Both species would pledge themselves to carry the flame, and thus they joined as one. Background The ritual was accomplished by both dragon and rider using a soul crystal as a talisman to join their souls together. They would stand together, where the rider would say the words, "By fire and by blood, I join with thee in the Order of the Flame." The power of the crystal would activate, creating arcs of lighting that appeared to penetrate the hearts of both. When the ritual was complete, the Bonded pair would essentially be a single individual. They could sense each other, no matter where they were. Whatever pain one felt, so too would the other. The magic of the Bond extended even after death. Should a rider fall while his dragon lived, that dragon would be pulled down into a stone slumber after a short time. A dragon could avoid this by breaking the Bond or else joining with a new rider. This is because dragons can live to be centuries, while a human's life is quite limited. A rider who outlived his dragon suffered what would be a worse fate. He would live out the rest of his life as only half of a being and, upon death, become a soul shadow, their soul bound to the world where their bones lay. Only a sacred rite known solely to the Order could release the tormented soul to join that of his dragon's in the afterlife. A dragon could also break the Bond by becoming one of the Forsworn, those dragons which broke the link with their riders. While this may have been done for legitimate reasons before the Dark Wars, there were many dragons who broke with their Bonded to join the Dark Union. The Bonded Those humans who join with dragons in the Order are known as the Bonded. Heron and Rynn, Bonded of Arokh The dragon Arokh was Bonded to the Order Knight Heron in the days of the Dark Wars. Many dragons fell in battle against the Union, and still others went over to join them, becoming the Forsworn. Those dragons who did not break their oath fell into stone slumber when their riders died. Heron and Arokh were the last two surviving Order members. In a final effort to stop the machinations of Navaros, Heron and Arokh defeated and banished him through a rift. Unfortunately, Heron was mortally wounded in the process and died shortly after. Heron's body was laid to rest under the temple in what would become Rynn's village. Arokh, meanwhile, flew back to his lair in the mountains, where he too fell into stone slumber. 600 years passed, and Rynn climbed the mountain with Heron's soul crystal in hand, intent on awakening Arokh to help her save her brother from the wartoks. They joined in the magic of the Bond, rekindling the fire of the Order of the Flame for the first time in centuries. Navaros, Bonded of Kaeros Navaros, the Order Knight who forsook his oath, incited rebellion and founded the Dark Union, was Bonded to the dragon Kaeros. During the rebellion, Navaros grew envious of the natural power his dragon possessed. Using dark and twisted manipulations of the Bond, Navaros consumed his dragon's soul, making the dragon's body effectively his own. However, his soul was not a dragon soul, and thus Kaeros' body could not maintain him like his own body could. When Navaros' physical body was destroyed by Heron and Arokh, he lost all his power. His soul and the body of Kaeros were banished into the Rift Gate. Over the centuries, he spoke from the other side of the rift, manipulating forces that would rebuild the Union and free him. Part of this plan was to bring a new mortal body to him so that he could possess it and thus re-enter the world. Rynn and Arokh managed to drive Navaros' soul from this new body, that of Rynn's brother Delon. With nowhere else to turn, Navaros brought Kaeros' body up from the rift, possessing it, and attempted to destroy the Bonded pair. They managed to kill Navaros, destroying the last physical body he had and banished his soul back to the rift. Tiuri, Bonded of Tagorah Order Knight Tiuri and her Bonded, Tagorah, protected her home city of Alwarren during the days of the Dark Wars. The war giant Tultal attacked the city. So enhanced with the magic of the Dark Union, Tultal was all but unstoppable. Tiuri used her incredible magic power to erect a barrier over half the city, trapping the giant inside. Unfortunately, this trapped her dragon as well. Tultal killed Tagorah, and through the power of the Bond, Tiuri died shortly thereafter. Her soul was fettered in the place where her bones lie. It was not until Rynn came to Alwarren and recovered Tiuri's soul crystal that her soul was freed to travel to the afterlife to be with Tagorah once more. The Bonded of Werokh Werokh was a comrade of Arokh's in the Order, and he too was Bonded with a rider. However, in the intervening centuries since the end of the Dark Wars, Werokh became one of the Forsworn and sided with the followers of the Navaros. Arokh was startled to find him awake without a rider and knew immediately that he was a traitor. Category:Lore